Château Ducru Beaucaillou Saint Julien 1988

Other vintages

Shows outstanding structure and definition. New oak comes through in the coffee and plum aromas and the palate is firm and concentrated, with delicious blackberry flavors. Hold until 2000 for it to soften and bloom.--Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical.

The 1988 Ducru Beaucaillou was picked from 30 September according to the château's records. This was the period where some of the stock was afflicted by a taint from the roof of one of the storage cellars, though this bottle was clean. It has an attractively fresh and quite youthful bouquet compared to its peers and 30 years of age: black fruit, leather, a touch of mint and a big bunch of violets. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. Perhaps, like many 1988 Left Banks, the palate has not aged as well as the nose: rustic and earthy with dryness creeping in towards the finish. In an odd way, you wish the bouquet had not been so attractive because the palate cannot quite keep up, notwithstanding that it is a little short. Not a bad Ducru-Beaucaillou by a long chalk but I would drink up bottles in the near future. Tasted at the château.

The 1988 is a medium-bodied wine without the depth and intensity of fruit of the 1989. It has high tannins, good ripeness, and it is another Medoc that appears to recall the style of the 1966 vintage. Anticipated maturity: 1996-2008. Last tasted, 5/93.